Friday, March 27, 2015

I recently read this one and it has a rather interesting story line to it. The main character, Drake, is a real butt frankly because he is rather high and mighty being a half breed and The One for this prophecy that everything revolves around in this book. He is out looking for revenge from the Saviors and Destroyers who killed his parents. He's so busy training and trying to get this revenge that he doesn't even see Selene coming until he's already falling for her. She's a very special woman with special talents (including the art of torture). My favorite character was actually Noryad King who leaves for quite a while in the book, but guess what? He has a book all about his journey! It's the next in the series and I have already started on that one! There was some repetition in the book and the flow was a little choppy in the beginning. However, the last half of the book was much smoother and was really intriguing! This was a pretty good read! I would give it a solid 3.5 stars. If you're into angels and demons and the possible destruction of Earth then you should check out his books! Blurb:Life in the World was simple. As always there was war, poverty, power struggles and a new leader for different years, until 2014. That was when the trumpets were heard. What many thought was the coming of God was, instead, a race for survival. The heavens opened up, not to receive new souls, but it opened to release the battalions of heaven's warriors against a known enemy, The Demons of Hell. The Demons of Hell, led by Raphael, came with one thing in mind, Total Annihilation of The Angels of Heaven. The Angels of Heaven, led by Gabriel and given free reign by God, came with one thing in mind, Total Supremacy over The Demons of Hell. Since they needed neutral ground to fight against each other they used the one available, Earth. Humanity was pushed to the brink of destruction during the war and people with abilities came to exist in the middle of the conflict. There was a decision made by each side to use one of their Lieutenants to gather intelligence from the enemy. The Angels chose Maria Faith for this task and Hell chose Simon Black. What neither side expected was for Maria and Simon to fall for each other. Even though they kept fighting the war for their sides on Earth, they were quickly losing interest in the battle. They decided to leave the war and build a life together. Both Heaven and Hell kept watch on them but left them alone until something happened. Maria became pregnant with Simon's son. On top of everything else, the boy was half Angel and half Demon. Heaven and Hell couldn't let the boy live so they plotted to kill him. Maria and Simon, who named the boy Drake Blackfaith, found out about this before the attack and they took Drake to a Guild named Never Too Late. They left Drake with the Guild and a letter, which he was to be given on his 25th birthday. The day of the attack, instead of killing Maria and Simon, Heaven captured Simon and Hell captured Maria. Both of them were to be tortured into revealing the location of Drake. Both Heaven and Hell wanted him because of a prophecy that was passed down 600 years before that says.... On the eve of his 25th year, Heaven and Hell cannot do anything except hide, his wrath and hate cannot be stopped. Both of his sides will unite, to save or destroy what's left of Earth. Heed my warning, for it will come to pass. Nothing can stop it, it's just a matter of time..... Now the year is 3014 and the war still rages on. Drake is approaching his 25th birthday and this is where our story begins...

Sunday, March 15, 2015

This is another murder mystery that I read recently and enjoyed. It was about a middle aged woman being stabbed with a stick at a fair. Two cops named Pete and Martin are the main guys working this case and it is a confusing web of truth, lies, anger, and people covering for their relatives. Pretty much everyone that the two cops interview are either related to or close friends of Virginia, the victim. The problem is that there is no love lost between she and a lot of people. She seemed to be the difficult type of woman at best. Even her landlord had issues with her. Trying to narrow down the suspects seems to be a rather daunting task since, although so many had issues with her, none seemed to be enough to kill her. Still, who would stab someone with a food stick from one of the vendors at the fair? The family is a real mess and sort of split because Virginia was the one to put her mother in an assisted care apartment, which was the potential cause of the sharp decline and demise in her mother. Several family members blamed Virginia while others stood behind her. Now to weed out who was to blame. There was a lot of detail put into this book when it came to the procedures used in the hospital that Virginia was rushed to before her death and in the police procedures. I liked that about the book, but at times it was almost too much, especially towards the end. I wasn't particularly fond of the cops lying to certain people they interviewed to find out information, but understand the reasoning behind it. It also ended with a bang, and a very exciting car chase! This was a good read!

A solid 4 out of 5 stars!

Blurb:

You can get almost anything on a stick at the Minnesota State Fair. This year, murder is added to the list. Despite the thousands of people in close proximity to the crime scene, efforts to find a witness are futile. Family and friends construct radically different portraits of the victim, and the list of suspects keeps growing. No suspect has a corroborated alibi. Three admit being at the fair that day. The investigation crisscrosses the Twin Cities, and travels from the fairgrounds to Rochester, Minnesota. St. Paul investigators Pete Culnane and Martin Tierney must separate fact from fiction, and determine whose lies mean what. Murder on a Stick by S. L. Smith is set in St. Paul, Minnesota, and much of the action takes place at the Minnesota State Fair. As the story opens, two older ladies escaping the State Fair (and a couple of mysterious pursuers) with their arms full of freebies discover a dying woman and call the rescue squad. Investigator Pete Culnane and his partner Martin Tierney enter, not laughing. The book deals with problems that the older adult often has to deal with, but never gets overly sentimental or loses empathy for the person within. I found no faults in the writing, and the plot kept me turning pages to see what was going to happen next. Amazon Buy Link: http://www.amazon.com/Murder-Stick-S-L-Smith-ebook/dp/B00O0A707W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1426128617&sr=8-1&keywords=murder+on+a+stick

Saturday, March 14, 2015

Bree Pierce's newest novella, Stay With Me, will be live in just a few short hours and I am stoked! It's a sweet and heartbreaking romance and a must read!!

Blurb:

Hank James was the man every woman wanted. His charm ensured that he would never be short of female company, but Valerie Gibson wasn’t just anyone. A few weeks of passion turns into something else. Alone and pregnant, Valerie doesn’t see Hank again until their son is six months old. Even though he returns, he isn’t home for good. Being a restless spirit, he can’t stay in one place for long, and leaves again. Finding herself alone time and again, Valerie Gibson must make a heartbreaking decision. Whatever she chooses will hurt in the worst of ways. Should she fight the unwinnable fight for their relationship, accept what little stability Hank is able to give, or let him go?

Wednesday, March 11, 2015

Are you one of those fans of Erica Stevens's Captive Series?? I sure am and I just got to read her new book Broken! This is meant to be a prequel to The Captive Series and I would suggest that you read at least a few of these books before you dive into Broken. However, this was an awesome read! It makes you see a man that was thought to be a cold, heartless monster as something else. Perhaps Atticus, the main character, has more to him that what anyone ever believed. It will truly change your perspective on everything you thought you knew about him and this series. I wanted to cry and root for a happy ending so much in this book. And it will make you want to take sides! This is a highly recommended read!!

Blurb:

In The Captive Series the vampire king that decimated the human and vampire races was introduced, but now it’s time to meet the man that existed before he became a tyrannical king. At twenty-five, Atticus is the last surviving member of the most powerful line of vampires, and is known as a prince amongst his kind. The life of luxury and privilege he’s always known is about to change in ways that he never could have seen coming though. Ways that will forever alter the course of his life, the lives of all those around him, and the history of the world. With his life shattered and an all-consuming thirst for revenge the only thing keeping him going, he is left with only one realization… Sometimes what rises from the ashes of a broken man, is a monster. Amazon Buy Link:http://www.amazon.com/Broken-Captive-Prequel-Erica-Stevens-ebook/dp/B00RM8F0YE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1425930478&sr=8-1&keywords=erica+stevens

Sunday, March 8, 2015

A New Hope is the second book in the Second Chance Series by Christina Escue. It will be released on March 28th. I had the privilege of reading this book very recently and I have to say, I like the story line to it and while we see the characters as more like children in the first book, you can definitely tell that they have grown up some in this book since many of them are facing challenges that have went from being accepted when they were younger to now having the challenges of deep relationships and whether to have sex or not since they are so young. This is a clean book so it does not condone teenage sex or anything and I like the outlook that the adoptive dad, Andrew, has on this issue in particular. Andrew tells his daughter's boyfriend, Connor, that he doesn't really approve of it but still wants them to be safe and that Connor can talk to him about whatever should he need to. This book has a few different stories in it though, the most prominent being the appearance of Karla, the adoptive daughter, welcoming her brother, Elliot into the family. After his grandmother dies, he comes to live with Karla and her family. It is a tough adjustment for him. He has dyslexia and has a really hard time reading. It shows his struggles in and out of school. My favorite though has to be the chemistry between Manuel and Callie. Manuel is Karla's brother and Callie is Connor's twin sister. The two of them have a kind of chemistry between them that is there from the moment Manuel shows up in the story, but he irks Callie to no end and she doesn't know what to do with her feelings. This is a good read! One definitely to check out when it is released!

Blurb:

Upon discovering she had a younger brother in Texas; Karla, Leslie and Andrew immediately go to him. What they didn’t expect was for tragedy to strike within days of their arrival.

Elliot Matthews had known nothing but love his entire life. When his father was killed in a terrible accident he discovered his beloved grandmother was too ill to care for him, so she tracked down the mother he’d never known. Instead of a mother he got a sister he didn’t know existed.

Thursday, March 5, 2015

Those of you who like murder mysteries and suspense, this will be the book for you to read! It's not a new novel, but it is certainly a fascinating one that makes you question the many facets of being guilty of a crime.

Dutch Cleland lived in a small town with his wife, Jean. Their relationship was still somewhat tumultuous even though it had been quite a while since Dutch cheated on his wife with Vicky. He fell for Vicky and she told him she loved him. Eventually, though, the hate, rage, and anger that had been lying beneath the surface so long finally erupts and Dutch finished her off, leaving her in a ditch for another to find. The story goes viral in such a small town. Murder isn't something that happens in Willow River. While Dutch holes himself up in the middle of nowhere, a search commences for him and Vicky's now missing body while a blizzard rages on. There are more dangers in Willow River than Dutch Cleland. Vicky's husband, Gordon Murdock, and ex-husband, Carroll Johnson, are both in town and while her ex isn't much to worry about, it seems that her current one is. He's a "reformed rapist" and out to get Dutch along with everyone else. Only thing is that Murdock will plow through whoever he must to find him. All the while, Dutch is tying to figure what exactly to do about the whole situation. Run or stay and face the music?

I received a paperback copy of this book in exchange for an honest review on it and I think this is a very complex tale of murder and intrigue. It is really interesting how Olsen made it so it was really hard to decide who was bad and who was good and to what depth of either one they were. In all honesty, pretty much no one in the book is completely good or bad. Even the chief of police, Charlie Benson, has his flaws, which includes his temper occasionally besting him and clouding any clear thinking when it comes to certain things, especially this particular case. Everyone thinks that Dutch committed the crime and have him marked as some mad butcher, which is ironic since he is a butcher by trade. But the guy has his reasons for finally letting loose on Vicky, which comes to light later on. No one deserves to die like that, but I can only call this woman one thing and that's a home wrecker. Plain and simple. I didn't think so at first, but the more you get into the book, the more you feel kind of sorry for all of the men involved with her and the more you dislike her. Any woman who has no scruples about being married and sleeping with various other men (mostly married ones) and breaking up or messing up marriages is a home wrecker. That's Vicky. The detail in this book is also really in depth and makes the story come alive. It can just as easily disgust you in some scenes as create awe in others.

Tuesday, March 3, 2015

The morning after the night
before, eighteen-year-old Charlie has a wicked hangover and no memory of the
party. Or why there is not one, but two hot guys in bed with her. Deciding
she's done her last walk of shame, college is exactly the fresh start Charlie
needs. Reinventing herself as Charlotte – the good girl, she vows no more wild
parties, no more one night stands, and absolutely no more bad boys.

Everything is going
perfectly. That is, until she catches the eye of the lead guitarist of hottest
band on campus, Dominic Hudson. With his bad boy good looks and magnetic charm
he is everything Charlotte's trying hard to resist, but he's not about to take
no for an answer. Instead, Dominic sets out to prove that some guys are worth
the risk. But Charlie knows all about guys like Dominic, hell, she used to chew
them up and spit them out, and giving into their undeniable attraction means
revealing her past. A past that she's sure will send him running.

With Dominic refusing to
let her walk away, Charlie fights hard not to give into temptation, unwilling
to risk losing not only her new reputation, but her heart.

Monday, March 2, 2015

I recently had the privilege of reading this collection of short children's stories and I have to say that they are very imaginative and creative. Not only that but they teach as well as entertain. I love stories that give morals and other lessons. These stories have some science-based lessons in them as well as morals of the story. My favorite was Blue, The Story of a Raindrop. He has a long and exciting adventure and it explains a lot about the cycle of rain and evaporation. It was a cool little story! These are definitely stories I would let my own children read, or read to them!

Blurb:

"A Fish A Wolf A Mouse and a Raindrop" is a collection of short stories for the young intermediate reader. Included are: Max and Goldie, a story about the life of fish; The Wolf of Ghost Mountain, a story about animals being captured; Brown and His Wonderful Escape, about a mousely adventure; and Blue, The Story of a Raindrop, where the process of evaporation is told in a context young readers will find fun.

Eight-year-old Laine Grant is about to go on a journey that she will want to turn and run from. Her situation is about to change as she is kidnapped by a vampire and forced to live underground, becoming a meal on occasion. While living in the underground community of vampires, she makes a friend, a boy about her age named Harry. He helps her escape, but years later they meet once again while they're both in college. A flame erupts between the two, but Laine never wanted to become one of them. Too bad the choice is about to be made for her.

About Me

I am a bookworm stay-at-home mom with three children and a loving husband. Without him I would not have the support to reach for my dreams. I have a degree in journalism, but go figure, I have not used it. In fact I started this blog because of my love for writing and researching things. I would love to edit books one day, but one step at a time. Patience is a virtue!

Contacting Me

I welcome comments so feel free to e-mail me or comment! All comments are pre-screened. And if you e-mail me please know that I may use part of or all of your e-mail in my blog. However, I will only use first names and possibly location. If you do not wish either of these to be published please specify at the time of contact. Also, if you are an author of a published book, I would love to read and review it if you would be willing to send me one! Please e-mail me!